Stand Firm

Fervent Day 2 Grace And Peace: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Grace And Peace!

The Questions

1) Who is Paul addressing in verse 1 and why are they supposed to stand firm?

2) Why is Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to agree? (verse 2)

3) What do we learn about prayer from verses 6 and 7?

Philippians 4:1-7

4 So then, my dearly loved and longed for brothers and sisters, my joy and crown, in this manner stand firm in the Lord, dear friends.

2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to agree in the Lord. 3 Yes, I also ask you, true partner, to help these women who have contended for the gospel at my side, along with Clement and the rest of my coworkers whose names are in the book of life. 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Original Intent

1) Who is Paul addressing in verse 1 and why are they supposed to stand firm?Paul is addressing believers in the ancient city of Philippi. To know why Paul is instructing them to stand firm we must look back to what he wrote in Philippians 3:12-21. Here Paul reminds believers to not dwell on the past, but instead look ahead to the prize. (verse 13) He also, with tears, reminds believers that not all people follow Christ. There are enemies of the cross and their end is eternal destruction. (verses 18-19) Paul then reminds them of who they are in Christ, and the rich reward waiting for them in Heaven. (verses 20-21) This foundational reminder is what leads up to Paul’s instruction for the Philippian believers to stand firm. They must stand firm in Christ, anchoring their identity in Him in order not to be swayed from following Jesus by those enemies of the cross.

2) Why is Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to agree? (verse 2)
Euodia and Syntyche were two believers who were both prominent leaders within the Philippian church. Paul does not provide details about the disagreement between these ladies, however, he does urge them to end their disagreement and repair the relationship, not only for the themselves, but for the whole church. Paul urges their reconciliation for the benefit of the gospel’s mission. They could have been extremely effective in spreading the Good News, but their arguing could cause others to turn away from the eternal hope Jesus offers. Paul didn’t want to see the spreading of the gospel hindered by their inability to reconcile and therefore he urges them towards unity.

3) What do we learn about prayer from verses 6 and 7?
First and foremost, Paul reminds his audience to not worry about anything. (verse 6) However, he does not leave them wondering what to do with their worry. He immediately instructs them to turn to the Lord with everything in prayer as the antidote for their anxieties. Paul provides the Philippians with guidance about different ways of entering into prayer conversations. While prayers often include petitions to God, there are greater depths to explore, and Paul points his audience toward these deeper waters. Prayers should be characterized with heartfelt thanksgiving as we remember and praise God for all He has done and for Who He is as our Lord and Savior. The result of patterning our prayer life in this way results in indescribable peace! (verse 7)

Everyday Application

1) Who is Paul addressing in verse 1 and why are they supposed to stand firm?While Paul is addressing the believers in Philippi, his message is just as much for believers in Jesus today as it was for them. Just as there were those who were not in Christ in Philippi, we find ourselves in the path of those who also do not belong to Christ in our everyday lives. There were enemies of the gospel in Paul’s day and there are enemies of the gospel in ours. Satan is at work and there isn’t a promise of ease when we become believers. Instead, we are promised attacks. Therefore, we must keep our eyes on Christ, on our identity in Him and stand firm against the attacks that are sure to come. When we keep our focus on the prize to come and trust in our identity in Him, we are able to stand firm against any attack that comes our way. Let’s ask the Lord to not only help us stand firm in truth, but also to remember Paul’s tears when he considered the enemies of the cross. Paul’s desire was for those who were far from God to be drawn near to Him. Who can you begin fervently engaging with love to share the gospel?

2) Why is Paul urging Euodia and Syntyche to agree? (verse 2)
These women were believers and leaders within the church at Philippi and they found themselves in the midst of a disagreement. Paul urged them to repair their relationship for the sake of the gospel. While we can love the Lord with all our hearts, serve within His church, and share the Good News with those He puts in our path, we can also damage the advancement of the gospel if our relationships with others are damaged and disunifying. People cannot hear what we are saying about eternal life and Jesus’ love when our actions do not match up. If we are sharing about a God who loves unconditionally, but we cannot love each other, the unbelieving world misses the message. Just as Paul urged these women to agree and repair their relationship for the sake of Christ, we must also ask ourselves if we have a relationship that needs repairing for the sake of the gospel. Who do you and I need to reconcile with in order to allow the Lord to fully work through our lives?

3) What do we learn about prayer from verses 6 and 7?
As believers, we are all called not to worry as it belies what we know to be true about God and His good, kind character. We enjoy a personal relationship with the God of the universe; He is in control of everything and desires for us to turn our worries over to Him. These are burdens He doesn’t want us to carry! However, we all know this is easier said than done. Paul reminds us in these verses there is no petition too big for God. We can bring it all to Him, trusting His will in every situation. A mentor of mine says it well, “We don’t pray before we work, prayer is the work and then God works.” That’s the God we serve. We petition God, then wait for Him in His divine timing to work. God will always answer. However, we need to remember God will answer in His wisdom, not necessarily what we desire. Paul’s reminder to give thanks is also crucial for us to include in our prayers. I can personally attest to God’s goodness when we thank Him. As we respond in thankfulness, looking for the ways God is working, we begin to see through His eyes instead of ours. When we begin choosing thankfulness as a habit, we find reasons to be thankful even in the hardest of situations. We begin to see God’s hand at work even when life doesn’t make sense. God is always working. Are we looking for His activity?

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Grace And Peace!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Fervent Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Shielded Day 15 With All Boldness

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Ephesians 6:19-20
Isaiah 26:3-4
2 Corinthians 3:12-18
2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Acts 20:25-28

Shielded, Day 15

“Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. For this, I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.” Ephesians 6:19-20

We’ve studied the different components of God’s armor as we’ve journeyed through Shielded together: the belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Every piece of armor evokes powerful imagery of what spiritual warfare looks like when battled God’s way, and it looks nothing like what we might picture on our own. 

In a nutshell, He shields us with His armor as He fights for us. We have only to stand firm.

Following such an impassioned illustration and instruction, Paul’s plea for the Ephesians to pray for his own boldness feels…a little out of place. In fact, it brings several questions to mind.

If Paul was indeed adequately covered and “suited up” in the armor of God, why would he need to beseech other believers to pray for his boldness in speaking the gospel? Wouldn’t the presence of spiritual armor automatically make him bold? What does this imply about the overarching purpose of the armor itself?

All good questions; let’s unpack them. Paul’s illustration of the armor of God is intended to give us solid imagery regarding who our battle is against: the enemy and his forces, and how we are to withstand him: by keeping our minds and wills submitted and purposed in the Kingdom as we go about our daily lives. We know all Scripture is God-breathed and inerrant, so with that in mind, what can we conclude from Paul’s plea?

To answer that question, we must dig a little deeper.

Every human is comprised of body, soul, and spirit. Our body is made up of flesh, blood, and bone; our soul consists of mind, will, and emotions. and our spirit contains wisdom, communion, and conscience. Paul gave a nod to this distinction when he wrote about the constant tension he found himself living within.

In the verses we’re studying today, Paul is talking about two of the different components of our being. As he expounds on the spiritual armor, he is addressing our – and his – spirit. When he asks the Ephesians to pray for his boldness, he is addressing his personal battle within his own soul, which is the mind, will and emotions.

Can you relate? I know I can. The sad, and very real truth, is the vast majority of us are far less concerned with anything the enemy might do than we are concerned about what other people might do or say.

Ouch. That manages to make me wince and be comforted simultaneously; even Paul warred with himself in the same way. His plea for boldness may as well be my own.

Or yours, too, maybe?

Think about it. Have you ever found yourself stirred by the Spirit? With sweaty palms, your heart pounding in your chest, and stomach rolling because you knew you were being moved to respond, to speak, to give, to share, to witness, to love…but then you didn’t do it? Have you felt the wave of sorrow that rushes over you when you failed to submit in the moment?

My friend. You’re not alone. I’ve been there. And Paul was there, too.

But do you notice what he didn’t ask the Ephesians to pray for?

Paul didn’t ask for safety.
He didn’t ask the enemy’s plans would be foiled.
He didn’t ask for his survival, or to be freed from chains, either.
No; instead, he asked for boldness.

Paul knew God would fight the real enemy for him, so he asked for help battling his own mind, will and emotions so he would be able to accomplish the task he had been commissioned for: preaching the Gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike.

Where do you stand, Sister? Do you find yourself shying away from the opportunities the Lord gives you to be a light in this dark world? Do you battle your own anxiety, or fear, or worry about what others may think?

Confess your worry and fear to the Lord, and ask Him to bolster your spirit. Then, reach out to someone you trust to pray for you, and do what Paul did: ask them to pray for you to be bold! The Lord is faithful and He will strengthen you!


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Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus. Tap and hold from your mobile device to download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!

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Here’s a link to all past studies in Shielded!

Shielded Day 4 Unmasking The Real Enemy: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Unmasking The Real Enemy!

The Questions

1) Why does the author call the readers to humble themselves (verse 6)?

2) What does it mean that the devil is “prowling around”?

3) How are we to encourage our hearts to resist sin and remain faithful amid suffering and evil?

1 Peter 5:6-9

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you at the proper time, 7 casting all your cares on him, because he cares about you. 8 Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. 9 Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

Original Intent

1) Why does the author call the readers to humble themselves (verse 6)?
The apostle Peter was writing to the Jewish people dispersed throughout Gentile lands. (1 Peter 1:1) In chapter 5 we find the central reason Peter had for writing the letter. In verse 12 he says he wrote, “in order to encourage you and to testify that this is the true grace of God.” The exhortation he gives in verse 12 is a repeated thought from verse 9: “Stand firm” in it, which is the grace of God. As Bible students, we note the “therefore” in verse 6 and should be careful to connect what is being said before this verse and connect it correctly to this verse. We humble ourselves “because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (verse 5)  By recognizing God’s sovereignty in our salvation and our sanctification (the process being made holy), we understand that everything we have is because of God’s grace, which is unmerited favor. Peter had learned it was better to humble himself before God than to be humbled by God. (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-74) There will be a day of reward. Maybe in this life, but definitely in the next. (James 4:6-10, James 1:9-12)

2) What does it mean that the devil is “prowling around”?
The prophet Isaiah revealed that Satan, who is the devil, was created by God, but turned against His authority (Isaiah 14:12-15) in search of his own. The New Testament tells us that at the present time, Satan leads the kingdom of evil (Matthew 25:41). His power exists not only in the spiritual realm (Hell), but he’s also been allowed by God to roam the earth and wreak havoc until the appointed day when God will destroy him and his demons forever. (Hebrews 2:14-15, Revelation 20:7-9) Until that happens, Peter warned the believers the devil was not to be underestimated. The devil’s power is limited, but he is attempting to steal, kill and destroy as many people as he can. (John 10:10) Even though he’s described as a lion, his ways are often subtle and cunning. In John 10, Jesus described Himself in comparison to the religious leaders. Jesus, the Good Shepherd came to bring life. The enemy of life uses even those who claim to be of God to carry people away from the grace of God by telling them their morality (their works) can save them.

3) How are we to encourage our hearts to resist sin and remain faithful amid suffering and evil?
We are challenged through Peter’s letter to resist the enemy’s schemes and stand firm in our faith because we have a family of Christians around the world who are experiencing hardship, temptation, and trials like we are. Peter reminded the believers that though it may not seem like it, there were many who followed God faithfully and endured suffering. In Hebrews 12:1, the author writes something similar to Peter as he addressed the oppressed believers, reminding them of those who’d gone before them in faith, “Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us.” Paul told the Corinthians it was important to remain humble, resist temptation, and remember it wasn’t uncommon to face hardship as a believer. (1 Corinthians 10:12-13) We also do this by meeting together with one another and encouraging one another in obedience and faithfulness. (Hebrews 10:19-25)

Everyday Application

1) Why does the author call the readers to humble themselves (verse 6)?
One of my favorite passage of Scripture is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. In chapter 2, we learn about the humility of the perfect Son of God, who “emptied Himself by assuming the form of a servant, taking on the likeness of humanity. And when He had come as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death—even to death on a cross.” Paul goes on to say that the humble Christ was exalted by God to the highest place. (Philippians 2:9-11) Humbling ourselves is not simply thinking less of ourselves. Rather, it’s moment by moment thinking of ourselves less and thinking of God most. Often, God opens doors to us as a reward of our humble obedience to Him and to following His call in our lives. We may even find ourselves in exalted positions with platforms and big opportunities to speak for Him. Along with this, we need to prepare ourselves that this will possibly lead to and demand much more humility as we depend on His grace to sustain us as serve Him.

2) What does it mean that the devil is “prowling around”?
God has granted Satan some power in this world, though he is most certainly on God’s leash.  In fact, his power does not control the grave even now. Even if Satan thought he had won when Judas betrayed Jesus, it was God who was in control to bring life to all of us! John Piper said, “God uses demons to undo the design of the father of demons. God uses Satan to defeat the purposes of Satan. The death of Jesus disarmed Satan in his warfare against God’s people. It stripped him of his one damning weapon: unforgiven sin. When Satan entered Judas, he signed his own death warrant with the blood of Jesus.” (Hebrews 2:14-16) The devil is prowling, yes. The devil has some power, yes. BUT death has NO power for the soul surrendered to Jesus! That’s why we can approach the throne of grace boldly (Hebrews 4:14-16) and cast all of our cares on God.

3) How are we to encourage our hearts to resist sin and remain faithful amid suffering and evil?
We can cheerfully cease from endorsing ourselves because we have the assurance from God that He will exalt us, when the time is right. I can’t think of a better way to remind ourselves that Satan’s days are short-lived than the testimony of faithful saints who have endured in the fight against the devil’s schemes. Several years ago, the words to this well-known hymn was slightly modernized by Brian Doerksen who had studied the history and possible meaning in the day it was written. I believe it communicates well what Luther was proclaiming:

A mighty fortress is our God, a stronghold never failing;
Our helper He, amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe conspires to work us woe;
His craft and power are great, and armed with bitter hate,
On earth is not his equal.

If we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
unless God’s man is on our side –  the man of God’s own choosing.
You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;
The Lord of Hosts, His name, from age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

And though this world, with devils filled should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God has willed His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
God’s Word shall overthrow him.

That Word above all earthly powers is evermore abiding.
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Jesus with us siding.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body they may kill, God’s truth is with us still
His kingdom is forever.

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Unmasking The Real Enemy!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Shielded Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Kaleidoscope Day 2 Patient Father: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Patient Father!

The Questions

1) Who is the audience of this letter?

2) What is the promise referred to in these verses?

3) Why do these verses emphasize God’s delay?

2 Peter 3:8-12

8 Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.

10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. 11 Since all these things are to be dissolved in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness 12 as you wait for the day of God and hasten its coming. Because of that day, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the elements will melt with heat. 13 But based on his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

Original Intent

1) Who is the audience of this letter?
Unlike other letters written in the New Testament, Peter writes this letter to a broad audience of believers.  2 Peter 1:1 introduces the letter to “those who have received a faith” instead of to a specific church. There are many scholars who believe this letter was written to the churches in Asia Minor. These churches were undergoing both persecution and false teaching and Peter is writing to warn them. Peter wants to remind them to cling to their faith and the promises God has made. He wants them to stand firm and not waiver in the face of outside influence.

2) What is the promise referred to in these verses?
These verses center around a promise the audience is waiting to be fulfilled. The promise is seen in verses 12-13. It is the promise Jesus left His disciples with when He ascended to the right hand of the Father. Acts 1:10-11 promises that just as Jesus left, He will return. When He does, Revelation promises the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth where everything is as it was supposed to be. A coming redemption where there is freedom from sin and death for all who have placed their faith in Jesus and received the gift of salvation. The promise Peter speaks of is the fulfilled promise of the redemption for all creation!

3) Why do these verses emphasize God’s delay?
When Jesus ascended to Heaven and promised to return, He did not give a time frame for His return. He simply promised to return. Since Peter died during the reign of Nero, we know his death occurred before 68 A.D. This letter would have been written before then, but scholars assume it was towards the end of his life. This is important because it means it had been over 30 years since Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and ascended. There were believers who lived during Jesus’ life and those born after Jesus’ time on earth. Yet, they are still waiting on the fulfillment of the promise made to them. These verses emphasize God has a timing and His timing is perfect, even when it doesn’t align with mankind’s timing. Believers are being reminded God will not delay in fulfilling the promise made to them, even though it may have seemed like He has. They are also reminded God’s delay is intentional. He is providing an opportunity for others to accept Jesus and receive the gift of salvation before His return. Once Christ returns, the time for choosing His offered salvation will be over.

Everyday Application

1) Who is the audience of this letter?
The broad audience of this letter should remind us that, as believers, we too are included in these warnings and encouragement to hold tight to the faith. Just as the believers in the early church faced persecution and false teaching, believers today face it as well. We are not exempt from any of this. Peter writes to the early believers and warns them of false teachers and we too need to know there are false teachers and be prepared. We too need to cling tight to Scripture, to what we know is true, and to not be swayed when the false teachings arise. Even Jesus, in Matthew 7:15, warned there would be false teachers and they would come as wolves disguised in sheep’s clothing. The encouragement, however, is found in that when we know the fruit to look for, we know if it is truth being shared. We know this fruit when we spend time knowing Jesus and reading His Word.

2) What is the promise referred to in these verses?
The promise in these verses is the promise we are still waiting for the complete fulfillment of. As believers, we have assurance of what is yet to come. Revelation 21:3-4 promises a time when God will dwell with us, when there will be no more death, no more tears, and no more pain. What an incredible promise! When we place our faith in Jesus and surrender our lives to Him, this is the certain hope we look forward to. God doesn’t promise we will be free from pain, temptation, death, or persecution while on this earth, but He does promise there is something so much better coming, something we can only imagine! The promise the disciples and early followers of Jesus clung to is the same promise we cling to. The promised day is coming, we just don’t know when.

3) Why do these verses emphasize God’s delay?
Two thousand years after Christ’s ascension to Heaven and we are still waiting on the fulfillment of God’s promise. Patience is hard on the best of days, but when circumstances are tough and life doesn’t make sense, patience is even harder. Yet, just as the early believers are reminded God does not delay, so are we. God is faithful and His promise will see fulfillment, however, it will be in His perfect timing… not ours. That tension isn’t always easy to live in. These verses remind us, just as much as they did early believers, that God is providing an opportunity for lost people to receive the Good News and share in the promise made. We can cling tight to this promise knowing that in God’s perfect timing, Jesus will return and His Kingdom will reign forever!  It is a promise we can cling tight to on both good days and hard days, and it will never fail. Patience is hard, but as someone I know and love says, “God is never late, but He is always on time.” His delay is intentional and means our work of sharing the Good News is not complete. The delay will end in God’s ultimate and perfect timing!

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with The Groom &His Bride!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Kaleidoscope Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

Sketched V Day 8 Paul, The Freedom Fighter

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Exodus 16:2-3
Acts 7:54-60
Acts 9:10-19
Colossians 2:20-23
1 Timothy 1:12-17

Sketched V, Day 8

My eyes clouded as the memories surged to the forefront of my mind.

I remembered the swell of pride the day I completed my religious training; as time passed, my acclaim as a pharisee grew. With each effortlessly victorious debate, each oratory demonstrating my deep understanding of the entire Scripture living within my memory, each flawless performance of public rites, I believed I inched one step closer to perfectly living the Law.

And yet, in the quiet of the night, questions came. Stunning in their simplicity, they goaded me, “Are you good enough? Have you done enough?”

I found myself without an answer, because despite my austere priestly persona, I hadn’t upheld the Law perfectly. And the exhaustion of my effort was overwhelming.
Unwillingly, I was bound against myself; I had no way out.

Constant perfection was demanded of me: I had joined the strictest sect of pharisees, because their zeal for the truth mirrored my own. Truth, we believed, began and ended within the Law. Anyone who violated that sacred truth deserved to be punished.

Therefore, rage ignited within me as I listened to my fellow pharisees’ vitriolic indictment of a new, heretical movement called The Way. I had built my life upon the Law. Adherence to our sacred texts defined our culture and preserved our identity as God’s chosen through generations of foreign dominion. But these traitors declared a transcendance of the Law by the death of a man claiming to be Messiah . . .

No. I quelled the doubts whispering at the periphery of my mind.
If the Law was proven unable to save, I was doomed, held hostage by its demand for perfection. I covered my silent fear with public outrage: when a call came for a leader to put a decisive end to this madness, I was the first to volunteer.

Thus began the arrests. More than I could count, running together in a blur that powered my meteoric rise to fame within my own circles, and infamy to those whom I pursued. The mention of my name struck terror into the hearts of these heretics . . . and the intense pleasure that brought spurred me to even greater efforts.

Etched into my soul was the rabbit-howl of condemned mothers as their children were ripped from their arms and handed over to slave-traders. I can still hear the muted slap of coats hitting the ground at my feet, the gritty heft of the first stone in my hand, the spurt of blood as it met its mark. In those moments, my satisfaction grew with each display of the pain I mercilessly inflicted.

For I no longer possessed any doubt: obliterating the enemies of Yhwh, protecting the very foundations of our beliefs–this would earn my salvation at the end of my days. And so bloodlust became my passion, in the name of my God.

Until, one day, on an unremarkable stretch of road, I met my God. Soon after, scales fell from my eyes, and shackles fell from my spirit. I saw the truth of the horrific war I waged against God and His children. My deepest fears of the Law becoming my own noose were realized.

The Law, my beloved, reverenced Law
upon which I built and staked my everything, led to death.
So many deaths, at my hand.
In my attempts to follow every letter of the Law, I had become the chief of sinners.

But then, grace.
And on its heels, freedom.

Grace in the form of a God who loved me deeply enough
to meet me, man to God,
as the Truth personified.

Grace in the form of a man whose love for God
outweighed his fear of me
and welcomed into his home his greatest enemy
in the days of my greatest vulnerability.

Grace in the form of a community of believers
who forgave my past
and sewed into my future.

Grace, not perfection.
Freedom, not captivity.

I came to understand that the Law didn’t bring salvation.
Rather, it created an awareness of sin,
the futility of legalistic striving,
and the need for a Savior.

With effort, I ended my reminisces and drew my attention to the task before me. My heart was broken to learn how my message of grace and freedom in Christ was being perverted. Like our ancestors begging to return to lives of tormented subjugation in Egypt, my brothers and sisters in the faith in Galatia were trading the freedom of the gospel for the chains of the Law.

At the heart of the issue lay a question of identity.

Were we children of God because of dogged obedience to the Law?
Because we were circumcised, followed each directive regarding food, and observed every Holy day?

But, of course, we couldn’t do it all. Not perfectly enough to stand blameless before an utterly holy God. So we sacrificed to cover our failures, and tried again. Tried harder.
And failed again.
We were once trapped,
Enslaved,
Dying within a system never meant to give life.

Or were we children of God because of our faith?
Because we repented of our sins, believed they were covered by the blood of the One True Sacrifice, and accepted the grace and forgiveness of God?
We walked in freedom, finally and completely released from the cycle of sin and death into new and eternal life in Christ.

I picked up my pen and began to write, my hand shaking with the force of my conviction. The words sprawled across the page.

Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Gal 3:1-2)

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed . . .

 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons . . .

So you are no longer a slave, but a son, an heir through Christ (Gal 4:4-7) . . .

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).

My brothers and sisters, you know the truth.
Stand upon it.
Choose freedom.

———

Sisters, how has Christ brought freedom to your life?

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A Note About Sketched
In this series, we are stepping into the shoes of various characters throughout history. Some are biblical, some are well-known in modern day times, and some are people our writers know personally. We do our best to research the culture and times surrounding these individuals to give an accurate representation of their first-person perspectives on life and the world, but we can’t be 100% accurate. “Sketched” is our best interpretation of how these characters view(ed) God, themselves, and the world around them. Our hope is that by stepping into their everyday, we will see our own lives a little differently!
Enjoy!
And keep watching for Sketched Themes to pop up throughout the year!

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Thanks for joining us today as we journeyed into Sketched V Week Two! Don’t miss out on the discussion below – we’d love to hear your thoughts!

Looking for other journeys from this theme?
Here’s a link to all past studies in Sketched V!